Women in BIM at SOCOTEC: Women modeling the future of construction
The Women in BIM (WIB) Spain 2025 event was held at the SOCOTEC office in Barcelona
The session, which brought together industry leaders, was established as a space to highlight female leadership, address the challenges of digital transformation, and emphasize the vast opportunities that the BIM methodology offers in the construction sector.
Conversation with BIM Experts
The gathering reaffirmed that BIM does not just mean technology, but is an ecosystem of coordination, communication, and commitment.
The experts shared their experiences, outlining the current state of BIM in Spain and the role of women in this evolution.
Below are the panel participants, from left to right: Júlia Solà (Mesura), Ana Belén Gutiérrez (Apogea), Claudia Gaona (WIB France), Olga Meliz (AMB), Emilie Moreau (BIMpulsa), María Benítez Balseiro (INCOSA), Monalisa Mendonça (WIB Spain), Laia Burgués (SOCOTEC)
Laia Burgues
Project Manager SOCOTEC
The need to break down resistance in traditional teams and overcome the gap between theory and practice. "We need to move from 'teaching software' to 'teaching processes'.
Emilie Moreau
BIM Consultant at BIMpulsa
The lack of unified standards among administrations and the difficulty for SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) to take on the necessary investment (economic and time) for a BIM implementation with common sense, without overloading models.
Olga Méliz
Head of the BIM Office at the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona
The slow adoption of change in the sector due to resistance, lack of investment, and the absence of professional training at all levels, starting from universities.
Ana Belén Gutiérrez
Head of Operations and Processes at Apogea
Breaking the "BIM myth" ("everything is easier"), whose simplistic narrative generates frustration. The real challenge is to support people through the speed of the technological tsunami (BIM with AI, automation).
LAIA BURGUÉS - Project Manager SOCOTEC Spain
Teaching Software' to 'Teaching Processes
"BIM has opened unique doors for me regarding the integration of disciplines, such as connecting auscultation and geotechnics data in a single model for complex infrastructures, like the L9 tunnel in Barcelona.
However, the key challenge is to break down resistance in traditional teams and overcome the gap between theory and practice. Therefore, we need to move from 'teaching software' to 'teaching processes'."
"BIM has opened unique doors for me regarding the integration of disciplines, such as connecting auscultation and geotechnics data in a single model for complex infrastructures, like the L9 tunnel in Barcelona.
However, the key challenge is to break down resistance in traditional teams and overcome the gap between theory and practice. Therefore, we need to move from 'teaching software' to 'teaching processes'."
The power of change
During the session, the low representation of women in engineering fields was addressed (only 27.2% of students in 2022-2023). Given these figures, it was highlighted that the future of construction does not reside solely in degrees, but in leadership driven by soft skills such as listening, empathy, care, and communication—areas where women bring a key advantage.
At SOCOTEC, we are proud to be part of this movement that promotes innovation, inclusion, and collaboration. The Women in BIM event was a powerful reminder that people are the true engine of change.
